Of Camping, Roasted Bananas, and LupusBears
by DarkHeartKeyblade
Summary: When the Doctor takes Rose to an uninhabited planet for a night of camping, he suspects that nothing will go wrong. But, seeing as he is the Doctor, something most likely will...


Well, my first official DW fan fic!! enjoy and please review!!

**Disclaimer**: Nope. Don't Own. Sorry.

"Ahh... what a lovely day for a camping trip!"

Rose smiled at the excited-looking brown-haired man standing beside her. The Doctor was breathing in the fresh, cool air of midmorning. The pair were on Mentus 3, which, according to the Doctor, was a camping planet. He said they had needed a break, and that Mentus 3 was best for that because it was mostly uninhabited. In his opinion, it was one of the last places they would run into trouble. Of course, to Rose, that meant that there _would_ be trouble.

"Isn't it lovely, Rose?"

Rose looked at the scenery. Around the spot where the Doctor had parked the TARDIS, there were patches of colorful wildflowers, the grass around them making the patches seem like islands in a bright green sea. To their left, at a distance of at least 20 yards was a deep, dark forest. It gave Rose the shivers, but she shook her head to clear it and looked up at the sky. She let out a gasp. The sky was a deep purple color. The clouds were blue, and the sun shone yellow through it all. The Doctor smiled and leaned down to talk in Rose's ear.

"The color is like that all day, not just at sunset like your sky. At night, it's not black, it's more like a navy color. And the three moons give you light to see all around you."

"It's beautiful, Doctor!"

"Yeah, knew you'd like it," he said, ruffling his hair and shoving his other hand into his pants pocket. Rose glanced back at him and watched as he walked forward a few paces and took an exaggerated breath of the air and spread his arms out wide.

"My GOD it's wonderful!"

Rose giggled at him and gasped as he ran back and swept her into his arms.

"It's so nice to have a break for once. How about a picnic, Miss Tyler?"

"A picnic sounds wonderful, Doctor... Doctor."

The Doctor laughed and placed Rose back on her feet. He beckoned her back into the TARDIS and together they gathered up different foods, utensils, dishes, and drinks. The Doctor put all the items into the basket, impressing Rose by saying that the basket was also "bigger on the inside." Rose grabbed a large blanket from a nearby closet, then followed the Doctor back out into the large field. The Doctor laid the blanket on a patch of grass large enough to not disturb the flowers around it. They laughed and chatted as they set up their meal and sat across from each other. Rose rolled her eyes when the Doctor put on his glasses and produced a couple bananas, a bowl, and a knife. He glanced up at her over the rims of the glasses.

"What?"

"I figured there would be bananas at this picnic."

The Doctor chuckled and began peeling a banana. Rose watched as he placed the banana in the bowl and sliced it with the knife, he repeated the process two more times, then placed the bowl in the center of all the food. He smiled at Rose, then gestured at the food before them.

"Well? Go on then, dig in!"

Rose grinned and did just that. As they ate, they discussed old trips, laughed at each other's embarrassing moments, and teased each other about just about anything. Rose sighed contentedly as she finished the somehow hot meal that she had put together, and noticed that the Doctor had added a bag of marshmallows and two roasting sticks to the bananas in the center. It seemed like the bowl kept the fruit fresh. Her eyes followed the Doctor as he stood and brushed crumbs off of his lap.

"Where ya going?"

"To get some wood. We're going to have a fire for this night of camping. Wanna help?"

He stuck his thumb out and pointed over his shoulder at the, now darker, forest. Rose shivered, looking into the black and green mass. The Doctor's eyebrows drew together, and Rose could see the concern in his deep brown eyes. He lowered himself to her eye level and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?"

Rose shook her head to clear it. She gave the Doctor a shaky smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine. But I'd rather wait here for you. Or in the TARDIS."

The Doctor nodded, his eyes filled with understanding.

"Yeah, go wait in the TARDIS. She'll take care of you. I shouldn't be long. I'll just get some for now and go back for more later."

"Okay, good luck, Doctor. The TARDIS and I will be right here, eagerly anticipating your return."

The Doctor smiled.

"Gotta love your sarcasm. Back in a jiff!"

Rose smiled and waved as the Doctor cheerfully jogged off towards the dark forest. Laughing at the silliness of the man she called her "traveling companion", she slowly got to her feet and returned to the safety of the TARDIS. She rubbed her arms as the door swung itself shut. It wasn't because she was cold, it was because the TARDIS seemed so quiet without her boisterous Time Lord pilot raving about something or other. Rose was barely ever in the old girl without the Doctor. Deciding that she wanted to be comfortable when the Doctor returned, Rose walked deeper into the TARDIS, towards her room.

The light was on, just as she had (accidentally) left it. She quickly changed into loose pajama pants and a white tank top, then, grabbing a few more bed things, she returned to the console room. Rose eyed the monitor, which the TARDIS had set to view the edge of the forest for her, searching for a sign of the Doctor returning. She smiled when she saw a tall, brown-haired figure exit the forest, a pile of logs in his arms. A laugh bubbled from her lips when he started to sprint towards the blue box. She shook her head.

"Wow, Doctor. Don't take your time for anything. Just come right back! Don't give two girls time to be alone. Right, TARDIS?"

A red spark erupted from a section of the grating on the floor. Rose's laughter intensified at the TARDIS's mock anger. She fondly watched the Doctor finish his run over, and smiled again when he placed the wood down and waved at the TARDIS. She grabbed her things and ran back outside. The Doctor was piling the logs up, preparing them for the fire. Rose quietly put her things down and tapped him on the back. He turned and smiled, watching her over the black rims of his glasses.

"Hello there. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. And you?"

"I'm brilliant, thanks for asking. Have a seat on the blanket. We're gonna have us a roast! The food kind, mind you. Not the "hey, let's point out everything wrong with this semi famous person' kind."

Rose snorted and sat on the blanket. The Doctor finished piling the wood, held the sonic screwdriver to it until it lit, then took a seat beside Rose on the blanket, sighing. He glanced at Rose.

"So, what did you do?"

"What? In the five minutes that you were gone?"

A smirk grew on the Doctor's face. Rose smiled and lightly smacked his arm. The smirk changed to a fond smile.

"Well, I knew you were scared, so I tried to get back as soon as I could. You know, so you wouldn't be alone."

Rose was touched. The Doctor had hurried just for her. She wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug, and nuzzled his shoulder, smelling the scent of pine and dew. Rose felt him chuckle and released him, looking into his sparkling brown eyes.

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Eh, don't mention it. It really is nothing."

"No, Doctor. It's so sweet of you!"

Rose laughed as the Doctor tugged on his ear nervously. Clearing his throat, he leaned over her and grabbed the marshmallows, banana slices, and skewers. Rose watched him open the marshmallows and impaled one on the skewer. He turned and handed it to her.

"Here. Roast it on the fire."

"Oh, wow. I haven't roasted marshmallows in years!"

The Doctor smiled as he took off his jacket, rolled his sleeves up, and loosened his necktie. Then, he skewered a marshmallow and began roasting it with Rose. They roasted in compatible silence. The silence was broken when Rose laughed at the Doctor, who had melted marshmallow on his lips and chin.

"You look so silly!"

The Doctor gave her a mock scowl and quickly licked the sticky substance off of his face. Rose had eaten her marshmallow and had gotten a new one, about to be roasted. He smirked and gently knocked the skewer out of her hand, sending her marshmallow into the grass. She gaped at him, picked it up, then turned back to him.

"You got grass on my marshmallow, you damn bastard!"

The Doctor raised one eyebrow in surprise.

"That's not the way a lady should speak! Wow, Rose. Just wow."

Rose glared at him for a moment, before bursting into laughter. The Doctor joined her, and they continued roasting marshmallows and bananas ("Roasted bananas are the best!" The Doctor had said.) until long after the sun went down.

--

Rose yawned widely and rested her head on the Doctor's warm shoulder. He smiled at her, the flames of their, now small, fire reflected in the lenses of his glasses.

"Tired?"

"Mmhmm."

"All right, well get up so I can set up our tent!"

Rose made a noise that the Doctor translated into a "no." He rolled his eyes and turned to his side and wrapped one arm around Rose's waist and the other under her knees. Rose snapped awake and gasped as the Doctor stood and lifted her into the air.

"Wha-wha-what are you doing, Doctor?!"

"You didn't want to get up, so I'm getting you up for you."

The Doctor swiftly brought her into the TARDIS and set her in the captain's chair. Then, he left her and retreated deeper into the TARDIS. He entered a room that was covered in dust, and grabbed a dark blue duffle like bag. He returned to the console room and smiled at Rose, brandishing the bag.

"This, Rose, _this_ is our tent!"

Rose smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Great, Doctor. Now go set it up!"

The Doctor scrunched his nose at her, and left the TARDIS to do as she said. Rose giggled and hopped off the chair, approaching the console. She gently ran her fingers over the controls and looked up at the central column.

"Hey, old girl. Can you play me some music for the Doctor to work to?"

Rose laughed at the song that emitted from the console.

_Come my little friends  
As we all sing a happy little working song  
Merry little voices clear and strong  
Come and roll your sleeves up  
(So to speak) And pitch in  
Cleaning crud up in the kitchen  
As we sing along_

The Doctor popped his head into the door and watched her over his glasses rims.

"Uh... no."

He returned to his work as Rose laughed even harder.

"He's right. Try again."

Rose smiled when a very familiar guitar rift started up.

_Darlin' you've got to let me know  
Should I stay or should I go?  
If you say that you are mine  
I'll be here 'till the end of time  
_

Her smile grew when she heard the Doctor start to sing along. The Doctor sounded happy as he sang along with Joe Strummer and sang out the guitar parts. By the time the song ended, the Doctor was done. He came in, rubbing his hands together and whistling "Should I Stay or Should I Go." When he saw her, he smiled.

"Hello there! Tent's done."

Rose nodded and followed him out to the large blue tent. She stopped outside of it and crossed her arms, glancing up at him. The Doctor looked at her.

"What?"

"I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say that it's bigger on the inside, am I right?"

The Doctor watched her with an amused smile, then pulled aside one of the flaps.

"Take a look."

Rose did just that. She was right. The interior of the tent was roughly the size of the interior and a half of the first floor of a house. It could probably fit twenty or so people comfortably, each with room to roll over. She grinned when she saw that the Doctor had already brought in blankets and pillows, plenty of both. They were all piled together, so that Rose and the Doctor could set them up and be near each other. She saw out of the corner of her eyes that there was a small kitchen like area on one side, and what was probably a bathroom. She knew that she and the Doctor wouldn't need them, what with the TARDIS so nearby. She felt the Doctor's breath on her ear before he whispered into it.

"So, what do you think? Comfy? Cozy? Comzy?"

Rose looked at him and tapped his nose, laughing when he twitched it.

"It's perfect for a tent, Doctor. Absolutely livable."

The Doctor smirked and entered the tent, Rose following. He went over to the kitchen area and grabbed a medium sized lantern and brought it over to where the blankets were. Rose and the Doctor set up the blankets and pillows in a way that would be very comfortable for the both of them by lantern light. Stretching, Rose laid down. She felt her eyelids getting heavy. The Doctor must have noticed too, for he told her stories of heroes and villains from other planets as she fell asleep.

--

Rose was awoken by the sound of rustling outside of the tent. In the darkness, she could see the Doctor on one knee, sonic screwdriver in hand. She reached out and placed a hand on his forearm, meeting bare skin. He was still in his shirt, and his tie was still dangling from his neck. She saw his head turn toward her.

"Rose, stay here. Don't turn that lantern on. I'm going to go out and have a look."

Rose imitated his whisper.

"Okay, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded and slowly got up and left the tent. Rose listened to his footsteps as they faded into the distance. She waited in nervous silence for her traveling companion to return. Just as she was about to leave the tent to see if he was alright, she heard a familiar scream in the distance. A rush of adrenaline filled Rose as panic rose in her. She grabbed the lantern and rushed out of the tent.

It was dark in the field, the slivers of the moons not giving off much light. The TARDIS blended in to the dark, but when Rose turned on the lantern, she could see it a few feet away. A breeze, colder than the coolness she had felt when she and the Doctor had arrived on the planet, blew by, causing Rose to shiver. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw the Doctor's discarded jacket, which he had obviously left there from earlier. She reached down and picked it up, then, after placing the lantern on the ground, pulled it on and buttoned it to protect her bare arms from the cold. In the lantern light, Rose could see their picnic blanket, still covered with their dishes, and the remains of their small fire. Shaking away frightening thoughts, Rose grabbed the lantern and ran off in the direction of the forest.

All of Rose's thoughts were of the Doctor. _Is he all right? Is he hurt? Is he being mauled? Is he unconscious? Is he going to- _She couldn't finish that thought. She wouldn't. Rose wouldn't be able to take it if the Doctor regenerated again. She was far too fond of his current form. His kooky behavior. His thick brown hair. His warm laugh. His sparkling eyes. His bright smile... she would miss it all. She loved it all. It would be too much to bear to lose him again.

Finally Rose arrived at the edge of the forest. It was darker than the dark field was. She was very glad that she had the lantern. She would not be able to see at all without it. Visibly shaking, Rose entered the forest. It made her feel very claustrophobic. The darkness and branches were pressing in on her from every direction. She could feel scratches forming on her arms and face from the needles on some of the trees. But the scratches didn't bother her. No. He heart was racing and her only thoughts were of her missing friend. She continued battling her way though the darkness and branches. Fighting to find the man she-

Rose gasped as she burst into a clearing. It was just as dark as the field where she and the Doctor had been camping in, but much smaller. She walked deeper into the clearing, looking around her and holding the lantern higher above her head. She jumped when she saw movement about ten feet away from her. Slowly, Rose approached the creature that had caused the movement. Finally, the light from the lantern shown on it. Rose's eyes widened. A white trainer.

"Doctor!"

Rose dived down to the Doctor's side as he emitted a pain-filled groan. She kneeled and carefully placed the Doctor's head on her lap. He blinked at the bright light of the lantern as she brushed his fringe from his eyes. Then, Rose glanced down at the Doctor's body and sharply inhaled. He still wore his tie, but there were three tears in his shirt, like claw marks. And around those tears, were bloodstains. The Doctor was injured. Badly. The sound of his voice drew Rose out of her trance.

"Rose?"

"Yes, Doctor. It's me. You're okay, I've got you."

"Rose, you have to leave. You have to get out of here!"

"What? Why?"

"Because it's still nearby, Rose. It could hear you and come to get you too."

"But Doctor, I won't leave you. You're hurt!"

"Rose, I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about, now GO!"

"But Doctor, I don't want you to-"

Suddenly, the pair heard the sound of approaching footsteps coming into the clearing. The Doctor quickly, and painfully, pushed himself off of Rose's lap and into a sitting position. Rose watched him as he shook his head and attempted to stand up. The footsteps were closer. Rose, scared and impatient, helped the Doctor up. Then, the maker of the footsteps broke through the trees opposite the clearing from them. Rose felt the Doctor pull her close as the creature entered the light of the lantern. She gasped.

The creature was like a large purple and black bear. Its claws were longer and sharper, and instead of a bear-shaped face, it had a dog-shaped one. Rose heard the Doctor growl under his breath. Rose looked over her shoulder at him.

"What is it?"

"It's a lupus-bear... not good... when I say to, start running. Got it?"

"And you?"

"Stop worrying about me-" He hissed in pain. "... I'll be right behind you."

She looked into his eyes. "Promise?"

His eyebrows drew together for a quick second, but then he gave her a crooked grin.

"Yeah, that's a promise. You ready?"

"Mmhm."

"Good, grab the lantern."

She did.

"One."

The bear-thing stepped closer, smelling the Doctor's blood.

"Two..."

Rose stepped closer to the Doctor so that she could easily run around him.

"Run!"

Rose dodged around the Doctor and started running. She heard the bear growl and start the chase. She turned, frantically to check on the Doctor, but turned when she heard him yell at her to keep running. Branches and pine-like needles scratched her skin up even more, but she kept running. Behind her she could hear the Doctor panting, trying not to stumble and fall. Even further behind her, she could hear the sound of the lupus-bear's pounding footfalls getting quieter. After thirty more seconds of running, the two of them emerged from the forest. Rose stopped and turn back to face the forest edge, watching as the Doctor did the same. The footfalls ceased, and a loud roar erupted from within the dark forest. The bear had lost its prey. Rose whooped and turned, smiling, to the Doctor. The smile disappeared when she saw that the Doctor had collapsed.

Rose dropped to her knees beside the groaning man. Imitating what she had done when she had found him in the clearing, she gently pulled the Doctor over to her, and placed the Doctor's head in her lap. Before she could begin stroking his soft, sweat-soaked hair, he reached up and took her hand. He grinned weakly and pressed a kiss to her hand, making Rose blush.

"Thank you, Rose. If you had listened to me, I would have been eaten by that thing. Thank you."

Rose smiled and fondly ran her fingers through his wind-swept hair.

"You're not out of the woods yet, Doctor. If you pardon the pun."

Rose was right. The Doctor was bleeding, the stains on his shirt larger than Rose remembered. The Doctor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Rose softly stroked the side of his neck with the back of her hand as he calmed his breathing. Finally, he opened his eyes again and glanced up at her with sleepy eyes.

"Can you help me up? I need to go clean up and get some bandages on."

Rose nodded and helped the Doctor to his feet. To make sure he didn't fall over and make his injuries worse, Rose carefully wrapped the Doctor's arm around her own shoulders, then wrapped an arm around his waist. The Doctor smiled and winked at her, causing a giggle to bubble from her lips.

"You're hurt, and all you can do is flirt with me?"

The Doctor laughed and nodded toward the TARDIS, a sign that he wanted to head on over to her. Together, they slowly made their way over to the phone box. Rose could feel the Doctor trembling slightly beside her, his strength dwindling from blood loss. When they were five feet from the TARDIS, she heard the Doctor emit a sigh of relief. She glanced at him, a smile on her face.

"Happy to be home, aren't ya, Doctor?"

"Yes, well… partially. I have to now stitch myself up and then get some bandages on before it gets infected or something, and I'll need a different shirt… Rose, you alright?"

Rose had a slightly sick look on her face.

"Doctor… I didn't want to think about you 'stitching yourself up.'…. I won't have to help ya, will I?"

"Well, no. I would much rather that you go clean yourself up first. You look like you got in a fight with the Whomping Willow from Harry Potter…. A nicer version of the Willow, I mean."

Rose could feel the stinging of the scratches on her face from the tree branches, and noticed that the Doctor had a few scratches as well. The Doctor noticed her looking and smiled.

"My scratches'll heal much faster than yours, Rose. Time Lord, 'member?"

Rose rolled her eyes as the Doctor pulled out his TARDIS key.

"I can make the last foot or so Rose, thanks."

Rose nodded and let go of the Doctor's waist. When she didn't feel the warmth of the Doctor's bare arm on her neck, she realized that she was still wearing his suit jacket. She blushed and started to take it off. The Doctor unlocked the door and began opening it. Glancing at Rose, he raised an eyebrow.

"You can keep that on, Rose. It's still a bit too chilly for you. Can't have you getting a cold now, can we?"

With that, the man entered the ship, Rose right behind him in case he fell. Once she the door had shut, the Doctor turned and inspected the cuts on her face. Rose tried very hard to look into his eyes, and not at the gashes on his torso. With a satisfied nod, the Doctor smiled.

"You'll need one band-aid for your cheek, but the rest are fine. There should be cream and band-aids in the cabinet in your bathroom. I've got to head to the med-bay. Meet me here when you're done."

Rose nodded and watched as the Doctor headed off into the depths of the TARDIS. With a sigh, Rose slowly walked down the hall and into her room, where the lights were already on. She smiled, she had turned them off after changing earlier, so the Doctor must have gotten the lights for her. She yawned as she walked through her room and into her bathroom. She had lost quite a bit of sleep after the animal had woken her up and the Doctor went to find it.

Rose cringed when she looked into her mirror. She had quite a few scratches, some more noticeable than others, but the Doctor was right: there was a scratch on her cheek deep enough to need a band-aid. She opened her bathroom cabinet and pulled out the antibiotic cream she knew was there, and one band-aid. She made quick work of cleaning up her cuts. There was a little blood for her to wash off, but when she put the band-aid on, the cuts were a lot less noticeable than before. The cream was probably from a special alien pharmacy somewhere.

When she returned to her room, she took off the Doctor's jacket, and pulled on a blue hoodie. After fixing her hair, she grabbed the jacket and walked back to the control room. The Doctor still hadn't returned, so Rose took a seat in the captain's chair and waited in the silence. A moment passed, and Rose could hear music emitting from the console. It was wordless, but beautiful. The TARDIS was playing music for her, so she wouldn't get bored waiting for the Doctor. She closed her eyes and softly started humming. For a few minutes, all she could hear was the music and her own humming. She was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard a deep voice softly calling her name.

"Rose? You in here?"

"Yeah, Doctor, I'm in the control room."

The Doctor came in, buttoning his dark blue shirt over his bandaged chest and stomach, his dark tie in hand. Rose stood, placed the jacket on the chair, and stepped over to him. Gently, she pulled his hand away from his shirt and finished buttoning it for him. Then she flipped up his collar and started putting his tie on for him. She felt his arms rise up behind her.

"Just gonna roll up my sleeves."

Rose nodded and continued knotting the tie. When she was finished, she flipped his collar back down and smiled up at him.

"Hello."

"Hello, there."

"How are ya feeling?"

"Better, thanks. Come here, Rose."

The Doctor held his arms out and Rose smiled and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him. She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Doctor, I was so scared."

"I'm fine, Rose. It's alright, I'm fine."

Rose stepped back and smacked him on the arm.

"Don't ever do that again, you!"

The Doctor gave her a soft, affectionate smile.

"All right, Rose. I won't. Promise."

Rose smiled and hugged him again. The Doctor hummed.

"So, how's about we finish our camping trip? I say we roast more bananas!"

"Doctor, can't you think of anything other than bananas?"

"Well, yeah, I just don't feel like it."

Rose laughed as she and the Doctor walked back out to their tent, hand in hand, to finish their "relaxing" trip.

Alright! well there will be more stories, kinda like a series, soon. REVIEW AND LET ME KNWO WHAT YOU THINK!!


End file.
